Highlights & updates

The unprecedented magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic requires innovative and bold collective action from multinational organizations, governments and industries. To facilitate this, the Forum launched 17 Industry Action Groups to address both the impacts of COVID-19, and to craft new principles for resilience.

Recognizing the impact of multi-stakeholder collaborative action, 18 shipping, airlines and logistics industry CEOs - the members of the Supply Chain & Transport Industry Action Group community - have signed a charter to express their strong support for achieving globally inclusive, safe and sustainable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Charter supports the COVAX participant countries, and is co-signed by the Executive Director of UNICEF and the President of the World Economic Forum. Signatories intend to support UNICEF and COVAX countries with planning, preparedness and prioritized transportation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and related supplies, subject to internal regulations, in four main ways:

1. Engage with governments, customs authorities, UNICEF and other UN Agencies, and NGOs

2. Participate in operational asset and competency sharing

3. Assign expertise to support governments, where requested by UNICEF

4. Support UNICEF’s Global Vaccine Logistics Distribution for COVID-19, with prioritization and solutions for international and in-country distribution of vaccines and related supplies on behalf of the COVAX facility.

Learn more about the topic of "Vaccinating the World" next week, during The Davos Agenda.

Reporting continues from the Partnership for Evidence-Based Response to COVID-19 (PERC Coalition), a joint effort between Resolve to Save Lives, IPSOS, Africa CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), UK Public Health Rapid Support Team, Novetta Mission Analytics and the World Economic Forum.

The latest bi-weekly report about the implementation of public health and social measures (PHSM) in Africa, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic covers the period between 22 December - 4 January, as Africa’s second wave of COVID-19 cases surpasses the height of its first.

Country-specific interventions, particularly during the end-of-year season, were noted across the continent:

The report also notes that "the majority of posts on social media and citizen quotes in news articles continue to support the use of PHSMs across Africa, with country and regional differences in tone persisting," and shares several country-specific trends.

Read the full report here. For more information on the disease situation, PHSM implementation and adherence in Africa, as well as PERC Survey findings, please visit the PERC dashboard and website.

Since we launched the COVID Action Platform last March, we've brought together business leaders from all sectors and over 1,200 organizations to advance over 40 initiatives around the world to protect lives and livelihoods.

Follow us and check back each week for updates on our activities, like the COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs, the Partnership for Evidence-Based Response to COVID-19, and the COVID-19 Workplace Commons.

If you're just learning about the COVID Action Platform, read more about it in our Impact Story.